A system and method for exchanging data between two or more applications includes a data exchange engine and a number of adapters associated with a corresponding number of applications. Each of the adapters is customized to interface with a corresponding application and transforms data being transferred between the application and the data exchange engine. Data produced by a particular application is converted from a technology dependent form to a technology independent form by the corresponding adapter. In one embodiment, the format associated with a data stream is disassociated from the informational content of the data stream by the adapter. The informational content of the data stream is then transformed by the adapter into a common or generic format. The data exchange engine receives data in a technology independent form from each of its associated adapters and coordinates the routing of informational content to particular adapters associated with applications that have requested specific informational content. The adapters receiving the informational content from the data exchange engine transform the informational content having the common format into a data format compatible with, or specific to, their associated applications. A queuing mechanism is employed to construct a reliable asynchronous or pseudo-synchronous interface between disparate applications and systems. The data exchange engine may apply business rules or logic when processing a request for particular informational content. User-specified routing logic may be applied by the data exchange engine to dispatch selected informational content to one or more destination applications.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method of transporting data, comprising: receiving a data stream from each of a plurality of source applications, each of the data streams comprising informational content and having a technology dependent form associated with a source protocol; converting the data streams from the technology dependent forms to technology independent forms not associated with the respective source protocols and not associated with respective destination protocols of one or more destination applications; identifying the one or more destination applications; transporting the data streams having the technology independent forms; transforming the data streams from the technology independent forms to technology dependent forms associated with the respective destination protocols of the one or more of the destination applications; and transmitting all or a portion of the data streams having the technology dependent forms to the one or more of the destination applications.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising processing the data streams using pre-established logic associated with each of the data streams.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the pre-established logic associated with each of the data streams is alterable by a user.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the data streams comprises transmitting the data streams asynchronously or pseudo-synchronously to the destination applications.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying one or more destination applications comprises applying routing logic associated with each of the data streams to facilitate transmission of the data streams to the destination applications.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the routing logic is alterable by a user.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising tracking each of the data streams during converting, identifying, or transforming operations.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising logging errors occurring during converting, identifying, or transforming operations.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising validating the data streams.
10. A method of transporting data, comprising: receiving, from a source application, data comprising informational content in a technology dependent form associated with a source protocol; converting the data from the technology dependent form associated with the source application to a technology independent form not associated with the source protocol and not associated with respective destination protocols of one or more destination applications; identifying the one or more destination applications; transporting the data having the technology independent form; transforming the data from the technology independent form to a technology dependent form associated with the respective destination protocols of the one or more of the destination applications; and transmitting all or a portion of the data in the technology dependent form to the one or more of the destination applications.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising processing the data in the technology independent form.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein processing the data comprises altering the data according to pre-established logic.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the pre-established logic is alterable by a user.
14. The method of claim 10 , wherein transmitting the data comprises transmitting the data asynchronously or pseudo-synchronously to the destination applications.
15. The method of claim 10 , wherein identifying one or more destination applications comprises applying routing logic to facilitate transmission of the data to the destination applications.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the routing logic is alterable by a user.
17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising tracking the data during converting, identifying, or transforming operations.
18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising logging errors occurring during converting, identifying, or transforming operations.
19. A method of transporting data, comprising: receiving data from a source application, the data comprising information associated with a source format; disassociating the information from its associated source format; converting the disassociated information to information having a generic format not associated with the source application and not associated with one or more destination applications; identifying the one or more destination applications; transporting the information having the generic format; transforming the information having the generic format to information having a format compatible with the respective one or more of the destination applications, the formats of the one or more of the destination applications being dissimilar to the source format; and transmitting all or a portion of the transformed information to the one or more of the destination applications.
20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising processing the information having the generic format using pre-established business logic.
21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising altering the business logic by a user.
22. The method of claim 19 , further comprising applying routing logic to facilitate transmission of the transformed information to the destination applications.
23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising altering the routing logic by a user.
24. The method of claim 19 , wherein transmitting the transformed information further comprises asynchronously or pseudo-synchronously transmitting the transformed information to the destination applications.
25. The method of claim 19 , further comprising: tracking processing of the information having the generic format; and logging errors occurring during the processing of the information having the generic format.
26. The method of claim 19 , further comprising producing performance data associated with processing of the information having the generic format.
27. The method of claim 19 , further comprising validating the received data.
28. A system for transporting data among applications, comprising: an input data adapter comprising an input interface and an input data converter, the input interface receiving an input data stream comprising informational content and having a technology dependent form associated with a source protocol of a source application, the input data converter converting the input data stream having the technology dependent form to input data having a technology independent form not associated with the source protocol and not associated with a plurality of destination applications; a processor communicatively coupled to the input adapter and coordinating the input data having the technology independent form, the processor coordinating transmission of all or a portion of the input data to the plurality of destination applications; and a plurality of output adapters each communicatively coupled to the processor and a respective one of the plurality of destination applications, each of the output adapters comprising an output data converter that converts the input data having the technology independent form to an output data stream having a technology dependent form associated with a destination protocol compatible with a respective destination application, and each of the output adapters further comprising an output interface that transmits the output data stream to the respective destination application.
29. The system of claim 28 , wherein the input data adapter implements logic for processing the input data stream having the technology dependent form.
30. The system of claim 28 , wherein each of the output data adapters implements logic for processing the input data having the technology independent form.
31. The system of claim 29 , further comprising an interface for altering the logic by a user.
32. The system of claim 30 , further comprising an interface for altering the logic by a user.
33. The system of claim 28 , wherein the processor comprises a plurality of distributed processing units.
34. The system of claim 28 , wherein the processor is coupled to a receive queue and a plurality of send queues, the receive queue receiving the input data having the technology independent form from the input data adapter and the processor coordinating transmission of all or a portion of the input data having the technology independent form to one or more of the send queues.
35. The system of claim 34 , wherein the processor communicates control signals to the send queues to coordinate transmission of all or a portion of the input data having the technology independent form to one or more of the output data adapters.
36. The system of claim 35 , wherein processor coordinates transmission of the input data having the technology independent form to one or more of the output data adapters in an asynchronous or pseudo-synchronous manner.
37. The system of claim 28 , wherein the receive queue operates as a first-infirst-out buffer.
38. A system for transporting data among applications, comprising: a plurality of input data adapters each comprising an Input interface and an input data converter, each of the input interfaces receiving an input data stream comprising informational content and having a technology dependent form associated with a source protocol of a respective source application, the input data converters converting the input data streams having technology dependent forms to input data streams having technology independent forms not associated with the respective source protocols and not associated with a plurality of destination applications; a processor communicatively coupled to the input adapters and coordinating the input data streams having the technology independent form, the processor coordinating transmission of all or a portion of the input data streams having the technology independent form to the plurality of destination applications; and a plurality of output adapters each communicatively coupled to the processor and a respective one of the plurality of destination applications, each of the output adapters comprising an output data converter that converts a respective input data stream having the technology independent form to an output data stream having a technology dependent form associated with a destination protocol compatible with a respective destination application, and further comprising an output interface that transmits the output data stream to the respective destination application.
39. The system of claim 38 , wherein each of the input data adapters implements logic for processing the respective input data stream having the technology dependent form.
40. The system of claim 38 , wherein each of the output data adapters implements logic for processing the output data stream having the technology dependent form compatible with the respective destination application.
41. The system of claim 38 , wherein the processor comprises a plurality of distributed processing units.
42. The system of claim 38 , wherein the processor is coupled to a receive queue and a plurality of send queues, the receive queue receiving the input data streams from the input data adapters and the processor coordinating transmission of all or a portion of the input data streams having technology independent forms to the send queues.
43. The system of claim 42 , wherein the processor communicates control signals to the send queues to coordinate transmission of the input data streams having technology independent forms to one or more of the output data adapters in an asynchronous or pseudo-synchronous manner.
44. A computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program executable for transporting data, comprising: receiving, from a source application, data comprising informational content in a technology dependent form associated with a source protocol; converting the data from the technology dependent form associated with the source application to a technology independent form not associated with the source protocol and not associated with destination protocols associated with one or more destination applications; identifying the one or more of the destination applications; transporting the data having the technology independent form; transforming the data from the technology independent form to a technology dependent form comprising a destination protocol associated with each of the one or more of the destination applications; and transmitting all or a portion of the data in the technology dependent form to the one or more of the destination applications.
45. The medium of claim 44 , further comprising altering the data according to pre-established logic.
46. The medium of claim 45 , wherein the pre-established logic is alterable by a user.
47. (New) The medium of claim 44 , wherein identifying one or more destination applications comprises applying routing logic to facilitate transmission of the data to the destination applications.
48. The medium of claim 47 , wherein the routing logic is alterable by a user.
49. The medium of claim 44 , further comprising tracking the data during converting, identifying, or transforming operations.
50. The method of claim 49 , further comprising logging errors occurring during converting, identifying, or transforming operations.
51. A system for transporting data, comprising: means for receiving data comprising informational content in a technology dependent form associated with a source protocol from a source application; means for converting the data from the technology dependent form to a technology independent form not associated with the source protocol and not associated with destination protocols associated with one or more destination applications; means for identifying the one or more destination applications; means for transporting the data having the technology independent form; means for transforming the data from the technology independent form to a technology dependent form comprising a destination protocol associated with each of the one or more of the destination applications; and means for transmitting all or a portion of the data in the technology dependent form to the one or more of the destination applications.
52. The system of claim 51 , further comprising means for altering the data according to pre-established logic.
53. The system of claim 52 , further comprising means for altering the pre-established logic by a user.
54. The system of claim 51 , further comprising means for applying routing logic to facilitate transmission of the data to the destination applications.
55. The system of claim 54 , further comprising means for altering the routing logic by a user.
56. The system of claim 51 , further comprising means for tracking the data during converting, identifying, or transforming operations.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
April 15, 1998
September 17, 2002
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